Press Release

American Airlines honors 50-year Maintenance Techs

(PRNewswire-FirstCall) - American Airlines is honoring an elite group of Aviation Maintenance Technicians (AMTs) this month for serving five or more decades in the airline industry.

At American’s maintenance and overhaul bases in Tulsa and Kansas City, Mo., the airline will honor seven AMTs with the FAA’s prestigious Charles Taylor “Master Mechanic” Award, which recognizes the lifetime accomplishments of senior mechanics.

The award is named in honor of Charles Taylor, who worked for the Wright Brothers and was the first aviation mechanic in powered flight.

To be eligible for the award, a recipient must have served 50 years as an accredited aviation mechanic and have been an FAA-certified mechanic for a minimum of 30 years.

“It is unheard of in this day and age to have people work in one industry for five years, much less 50,” said Carmine Romano, American’s Senior Vice President - Maintenance & Engineering. “These gentlemen have served with distinction and honor for half a century. I’ve always said this is a special industry, and the dedication of these men shows that, once aviation gets into your blood, it becomes a permanent part of who you are.”

The seven honorees include:

- Robert “Bobby” Kreider (Kansas City)

- Charles Lewis (Kansas City)

- Max Murray (Kansas City)

- Ray Wisner (Tulsa)

- Russ Law (Tulsa)

- Jim Hyder (Tulsa)

- J.C. Carrol - Posthumously (Kansas City)

“Every day, our AMTs go above and beyond to provide reliable, safe passage for the traveling public. They take their responsibility very seriously and they adhere to extremely high standards they set for themselves,” said Don Videtich, International Representative, Transport Workers Union.

“It is an honor to represent such a fine group of men and women who exhibit the same innovation and professionalism that Charles Taylor did back in 1903.”